Dragonfly is a small film. Small in the sense it’s obviously low budget (location) and a two-hander. But it’s so well written (by director Paul Andrew Williams) and exquisitely acted that it seems bigger: it opens out in your mind, like the ripples of a pebble in still water, into the state of broken Britain, loneliness and the fragile desire for human connection (like a dragonfly, as per the opening quote by James Thurber).
New Friends?
by Alexa DalbyDragonfly
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
CAUTION: Here be spoilers
Dragonfly mainly charts the developing friendship between two neighbours, played by two excellent actresses, until something terrible happens to them.
Elsie (Brenda Blethyn) is 85, a widow living alone in her bungalow on an estate, suffering being showered daily by ever-changing carers (Why do they call them carers?) who don’t even know her name, although they see her naked. She is neglected and lonely but, despite mobility problems, able to live independently.
The neighbouring bungalow is lived in by Colleen (Andrea Riseborough), much younger, troubled and on benefits. She is the owner of a large white XL Bully dog, the aggressively named but well-behaved Sabre, so large and white she looks like a naked person. Colleen loves Sabre and the dog is her only companion.
Colleen sees a carer clocking off early from Elsie and decides she could look after her better. She starts by doing Elsie’s shopping at the local convenience store and befriends her to the extent that she is trusted with Elsie’s debit card and pin number. They become comfortable friends over time and Colleen buys Elsie a two-person walkie-talkie so they can chat easily.
John (Jason Watkins, McDonald and Dodds), Elsie’s absent, middle-aged son, is obviously suspicious of Colleen’s motives. He turns up without warning although he doesn’t come often. Without telling Elsie, he reports Colleen for owning a banned breed of dangerous dog.
This creates dramatic changes for both women. Police come to enforce the ban and Colleen is tasered trying to save Sabre. This is a prelude to even more horrific events.
Dragonfly is unsettling. We are never sure what Colleen’s motives are: we see evidence on both sides and we hear, but don’t see, her back story. There’s a jump scare but we are riveted by the two wonderful actresses and the humanity they offer to us. The bloody finale sticks in the mind, as does Elsie’s predicament. I don’t know if it’s really a horror film, though there’s a sense of menace, but it’s a must-see.
Dragonfly premiered at Tribeca and is released on 7 November 2025 in the UK.
